State by State Data

Student Debt and the Class of 2016

TICAS’ twelfth annual report on debt for bachelor’s degree graduates of public and nonprofit colleges finds wide variations in debt levels across states as well as colleges.

Average student debt at graduation in 2016 ranged from $20,000 in Utah to $36,350 in New Hampshire, and new graduates’ likelihood of having debt ranged from 43 percent in Utah to 77 percent in West Virginia. Average debt varies even more across colleges, from a low of $4,600 to a high of $59,100, and the share of students graduating with loans ranges from six to 98 percent.